Snow White Must Die

First Line: The rusty iron staircase leading downstairs was narrow and steep.

During their investigation into a woman being pushed from a pedestrian bridge onto a busy motorway beneath, police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein discover that the victim is the mother of a man who spent ten years in prison for the deaths of two seventeen-year-old girls. The girls vanished without a trace, and Tobias Sartorius was convicted after a trial based solely on circumstantial evidence.

Tobias has been released and has returned to his home in the small village of Altenhain, Germany, to find his parents divorced, his father's business ruined, and his father a broken old man. It rapidly becomes clear that the villagers do not want show more Tobias among them. When another young girl goes missing, Kirchhoff and Bodenstein's investigation turns into a race against time because the people of Altenhain know who's guilty and are more than willing to take matters into their own hands.

There are currently six books in the Kirchhoff and Bodenstein series, with this one being the fourth-- and the first to make its way to the U.S. I didn't realize this when I began reading the book, but it was soon evident that the two police inspectors had worked on past cases together. I didn't find this detrimental because none of the past cases had anything to do with their present one.

After a few pages I was completely caught up in Neuhaus's story. This author knows how to create a wonderful cast of characters! In this book, Oliver Bodenstein has the lion's share of the spotlight as his personal life begins to take precedence over the investigation, but it is Pia Kirchhoff who caught my attention. It's all due to Pia's feeling that something's not quite right that there's an investigation at all. She begins doing her research and finds things in the old case files that just don't add up. Pia will not let it go when others tell her that Tobias Sartorius was guilty, and she shouldn't waste her time.

The two police inspectors are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cast of characters in this book. Neuhaus immediately gives the reader the feeling that Tobias Sartorius is innocent without coming right out and saying so. The author also has one of the best portrayals of what can happen to the family of a man found guilty and sent to prison. There are victims on both sides, and this is seldom shown in crime fiction books.

I could go on and on about other characters like the teenage girl Amelie who befriends Thies, a young autistic man. The resident rich man of Altenhain, the television star... Neuhaus populates this book with rich characterizations. But wait-- there's more!

The plot has a thread count higher than the best linens at Saks Fifth Avenue-- and each one is carefully woven into Neuhaus's framework. As one element is deduced, six more questions pop up, demanding to be answered. Although this book has a complex plot and many characters (that I had no problem keeping track of), I still felt it could have used a bit more editing and tightening. This is a very small complaint, however. Snow White Must Die is one enjoyable book to read, and I hope you take the opportunity to do so! show less

Published in English as: Snow White Must Die

Sentenced to a 10-year stint in prison, 30-year-old Tobias is finally free to take his life up again. With a supportive father and a childhood friend aiming for more, he tries to get back on his feet. His old neighbors however, are nowhere near happy to have him back, and let him and his parents feel their scorn at every opportunity. How could they just accept a child murderer back in their midst?

This was a surprisingly intense book, especially since most of the thrilling factors relied solely on a feeling of things being deeply rotten in Denmark the village. It sort of reminded me of Friedhofskind with the village's underlying anger... only, in this case things were firmly out in the open.

I show more greatly enjoyed the overall atmosphere surrounding the events from both past and present, as the reader slowly but surely realizes that absolutely nothing is anything as it may first seem. With the possible exception of Tobi, who's very consistent in his confusion.

The main characters' personal lives on the other hand... were just awfully handled:
- Pia Kirchoff's administrative troubles were just to show that she can step up at work inspite of them. Especially when the universe ends up stepping in and solving everything in a jiffy.
- Henning Kirchoff has upped his annoyance levels so much, that all his forensic findings now get revealed off screen. I honestly didn't get the appeal in that, other than sharing Oliver's exasperation with the man.
- To be fair, poor Oliver Bodenstein gets thrown a heavy curve ball, which does end up having some interesting effects in his work life. Especially in the way it ends up tying in with the current case. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm nowhere near invested enough in him, for these things to truly interest me.

Score: 3.3/5 stars

Loved the criminal investigation, but the recurring characters' side stories need more work...

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Review of book 1: Eine Unbeliebte Frau
Review of book 2: Mordsfreunde
Review of book 3: Tiefe Wunden
Review of book 5: Wer Wind sät
Review of book 6: Böser Wolf show less

This is a compelling thriller, with a strong plot line, and a good read overall. The story centers on Tobias Sartorious, who has returned to his home town after serving nine years in prison for the murder of two girls. The evidence, we are told, was entirely circumstantial, but the townsfolk have no doubt about Tobias' guilt. They have ruined his father and driven his mother out of town, and are all set to turn on Tobias when he returns. But is he guilty? The plot thickens, of course, and then thickens some more, producing new crimes and the arrival of our detective duo on the scene. They have their own issues, personal and political, further complicating a complicated plot.

Despite the complexity, I found it a compelling read, though I show more did have to stop from time to time to figure out how character X was linked to character Y. In addition, the translation feels clumsy at times (slang words in particular don't sound right). Finally, the plot does move into the Grand Guignol territory so beloved of Swedish crime novelists, so be prepared to tolerate a bit of implausibility. Overall, however, this thriller did its job -- it kept me turning the pages, a good bit further into the night than I had intended. I have already started reading another novel in the series, and look forward to proceeding through what's available in English. show less

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus is book four in the series, but the first I have read so far and it is a terrific thriller and mystery of small town secrets and murder. Translated from its original German, the novel has an incredibly pace and flow that is much faster than many of the European mysteries I have encountered previously.

Tobias Sartorius has just been released from prison. He served ten years for the deaths of two teenage girls, convicted strictly on circumstantial evidence. He returns home to the village where the crimes took place to find his father's life in ruins and his mother gone. The villagers, once his friends and neighbors react angrily to his return but Tobias cannot leave his father alone to deal with the show more outcry of the townspeople.

Detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver Von Bodenstein are sent to investigate a mysterious traffic accident. A woman fell off a pedestrian bridge into the traffic below causing a pile up. Prior to her falling, she is seen running from a man and fighting against him. The woman is Rita Cramer, the mother of Tobias Sartorius.

Kirchhoff and Von Bodenstein run into a wall of silence when they show photos of the man on the bridge before Rita Cramer fell into the traffic to the village. It is obvious that they know who the man is and are covering up for him. The Detectives realize that this attack is related to the missing girls of ten years before and the return of Rita Cramer's son Tobias to the village. As they dig into the mystery they realize that it is possible that Tobias did not commit the crime he was sentenced to so many years before and that the village itself is aware that he may be innocent.

The actions in the village come to a head as another young girl goes missing. Is it the revenge of Tobias or is there a more sinister happening going on behind the silence of the village and its people.

Snow White Must Die is another in a growing list of European mysteries that seem to be eclipsing what is being produced here in the states. The setting and absolute attention to detail in character development are the foundations to a mystery crime novel that moves at a pace and clip that is reminiscent of a thriller. The private lives of the Detectives comes into play in their interaction with the suspects and witnesses and are just as much a part of the tale as the murders themselves. Von Bodenstein's failing marriage and his wife's attitude rock him and make it difficult for him to make clear headed observations to what is happening around him. Kirchhoff finds the ties to the cold case to what is happening in the village now and she finds herself moving against prevailing attitudes in her own police force against re-opening a case that they already feel is solved. Tobias is an interesting character, returning to the very town where he is viewed as a murderer of young girls. His parents once thriving business in in ruins and their position in the community destroyed by his conviction. He knows it would be better if he left but his crushed father keeps him there. He must fight against the town and continue to proclaim his innocence though he himself is no longer sure what truly happened all those years ago.

The mysteries and secrets of this small town village are as dark and horrific as any laid out before. The murder and rape of the two young girls, somehow brought about by their own jealousies and plotting are tragic. The reaction and reach for truth by the townspeople, any truth, is reminiscent of small town America where the rumors and gossip hold as much truth as actual facts.

Neuhaus is an established bestseller in her own country and is ready to make her mark her across the pond. Snow White Must Die is a terrific mystery with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing through it all. It doesn't miss a beat and the translation is expertly done. It flows and ebbs without a lilt.

A terrific crime novel that will have you searching for the others in the series and hoping they have made it across the pond as well! show less

Tobias Sartorius has spent ten years in prison after being convicted of the murders of two teenage girls; their bodies have never been found. On his release he returns to the small village where he grew up, and where the two girls hailed from too, and thereby reopens barely healed wounds, triggering a series of violent events.

I agree with one reviewer that the snappy title is the best thing about this novel. There are numerous inconsistencies, the actions of villagers in the past and the present appear implausible, the police prove themselves to be incompetent and unprofessional in cases, there are far too many sub-plots and characters to keep track of, and the solution didn't convince me at all, being far too complicated and putting me show more in mind of one of Agatha Christie's best-known (though not best) novels, and I was tempted at times to abandon the read without having made it to the final page. To me the main point of criticism though is that the book just isn't written very well, and I didn't care a fig about any of the characters, despite descriptions where characters are in danger or feel quite impassioned – the emotion simply didn't make the transition from the page to my heart and mind, and I thought the entire novel almost completely lacking in atmosphere and tension; whether this is the fault of the author or the translator is impossible to determine without reading it in the original German. Suffice to say that I won't pick up any more books by this author or follow the series. To read that this is an international bestseller, with several million copies sold, and that the author is Germany's top-selling crime novelist simply leaves me puzzled and astounded. show less

Tobias is released from prison after serving his sentence for the murders of two of his classmates when he was seventeen. The bodies of the two girls were never found. He returns to the village outside of Frankfurt, where he had grown up and where his family has run the local restaurant/bar/guest house to find his mother has left, the restaurant shuttered and his father living in filth. His original plan had been to go far away where he could start his life over, but he decides to stay to clean up the property and to help his father who is deeply depressed. Soon they are subjected to a campaign of harassment as the village bands together to eject Tobias from their midst. Meanwhile, the body of one of the girls is discovered, a new girl show more comes to town who is asking too many questions and the fault lines begin to show.

A lot happens in this book. A lot. There's no one in the village not involved in the action in some way or another. The book strains the reader's ability to go with the events occurring as there is just so very much happening. And while the village of Altenhain is so small and insular as to have the residents close ranks against outsiders and act in unison, it's also near Frankfurt and large enough to produce TV stars, government ministers and multimillionaires. There are a large number of unusually attractive people, including a few of the detectives investigating the crimes. There are murders, both old and new, an unusually large supply of unscrupulous con men and heartless murders for such a small place, and even a Lisbeth Salander-like character, who arrives to shake things up a bit, but who is quite pretty when she removes her piercings and behaves in a more lady-like way.

The book was not good. It wasn't terrible, but nor was the plot believable, even in a crime-novel-featuring-serial-killers way. The characters are two dimensional at best, with a lot of wish-fulfillment and convenient deaths going on. The police were not at all believable as police, with the investigating officers happily telling every suspect every bit of evidence against them, including the identities of witnesses. I was also surprised to find that the author is a woman since there is a rape in the book that is explained numerous times as being because the victim was a tease and her death was considered less important than that of the other girl, who was nicer. Women were portrayed as perfidious liars and emasculating controllers. On the other hand, I was reading this book in German and the short segments and constant action made the book move along quickly. show less

From Amazon:

On a rainy November day police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are summoned to a mysterious traffic accident: A woman has fallen from a pedestrian bridge onto a car driving underneath. According to a witness, the woman may have been pushed. The investigation leads Pia and Oliver to a small village, and the home of the victim, Rita Cramer.

On a September evening eleven years earlier, two seventeen-year-old girls vanished from the village without a trace. In a trial based only on circumstantial evidence, twenty-year-old Tobias Sartorius, Rita Cramer's son, was sentenced to ten years in prison. Bodenstein and Kirchhoff discover that Tobias, after serving his sentence, has now returned to his home town. Did the show more attack on his mother have something to do with his return?
In the village, Pia and Oliver encounter a wall of silence. When another young girl disappears, the events of the past seem to be repeating themselves in a disastrous manner. The investigation turns into a race against time, because for the villagers it is soon clear who the perpetrator is--and this time they are determined to take matters into their own hands.

My Thoughts:
From the beginning I was drawn into the story line and interested in the characters. This book is one that is neither predominately character nor plot driven but has an excellent balance of both. However, Snow White Must Die is far from being a fairy tale. As corruption and the conspiracy within this town begins to be uncovered, no one is safe. I really enjoyed this novel and I hope that Neuhaus's novels continue to find their way into the American market. 4.5 stars. show less